Thursday, May 10, 2012

Gumpar The Permian Explains What Is Wrong With Getting Married In North Carolina

America has a lot of problems that should be the focus of attention, in my opinion.

Real problems.

Things like veterans of America's many foreign wars ending up homeless after their return home.

I grow real tired of some issues getting demogauged simplistically, usually by Republicans, but sometimes by left leaners.

Demogauging about issues like the supposed scourge of illegal immigrants, the majority of whom come from Mexico, with the problem easily solved by easily granting work visas to Mexicans wanting to do jobs in America that Americans don't want to do.

Another demogauged issue that bugs me is all the brouhahaing over the supposed threat to the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman, by those who think anyone should be able to marry anyone they want to marry.

The idea that this issue is being voted on seems bizarre to me.

I believe the state I was born in, Oregon, and the state I grew up in, Washington, have now made it legal for anyone to marry anyone they want to marry.

Now, while I think this is a ridiculous issue, I totally understand that in a representative democracy that the people can make the majority view the law. Hence around 30 states not taking the more liberal Oregon/Washington view on this issue and voting in various measures to make it the law of a particular state that only a man and woman can get married.

I was going to ignore this subject til I read a blog this morning, the blog of someone I'll call Gumpar the Permian, not wanting to embarrass this individual by using his actual name.

Gumpar the Permian, in a blog post titled "Brainless North Carolinian's" wrote...

Apparently a majority of people voting in North Carolina have agreed they are unable to think for themselves. I could hardly believe it. They have decided that the government should tell them who they can marry. It's incredible! I've heard several people opine that India is bad because they have "arranged" marriages. I assume the marriages are arranged by the children's parents, but I'm not an expert.

Now keep in mind that Gumpar the Permian is an educated in Texas boy who had no history, civics or political science classes, whilst being educated.

I can not help but wonder how a majority of people supporting a measure on a ballot means they are unable to think for themselves? These are dots I can not connect.

And, India is "bad"? Due to arranged marriages? I did not know India was "bad". Did you? And not all marriages in India are arranged marriages. This type thinking is a product of a bad Texas education, it seems to me.

And then there is this from Gumpar the Permian...

However, in North Carolina, it's up to the government to determine who you can marry! Happy days. I guess your parents can still try to arrange it for you, but if the government doesn't agree then it doesn't count. Why oh why oh why? The government has no business dictating matters of love, relationships or marriage. None, zero, zilch. That's a very personal thing. We should not allow the government to tell us what to eat, what to drink, or who to marry.

I don't quite see how Gumpar makes the logic leap where the majority of North Carolinians approving a ballot measure, about what constitutes a marriage, turns into government dictating what North Carolinians can do.

See, if Gumpar the Permian had ever been exposed to something like a civics lesson he might have learned that America's government, at the federal, state and local level is founded on the idea that the government is of the People, for the People and by the People. In a representative democracy the People are the government.

Does this always work out well? No. Sometimes the people support something like banning the sale of adult beverages with a Prohibition Amendment to the Constitution that then ends up getting repealed when the People realize they'd made a big boo boo.

Now my view on this whole marriage thing is that that archaic institution should be abolished.

If marriage was abolished, overnight we'd solve the divorce problem. I can not help but notice that many of the people who whine about the sanctity of traditional marriage, speak from the voice of experience, due to their multiple marriages. People like Rush Limbaugh come to mind.

Then there are those highly publicized travesty marriages between men and women. I'm thinking of Kardashian sham marriages and Brittney Spears type marriage debacles. These type people should be banned from getting married.

And reproducing.

I am all for any government dicates that might put a stop to the Kardashians.

In one more bizarre bit of erroneousness from Gumpar the Permian, Gumpar opines....

There's no need to waste time debating about the merits of gay marriage. If you want to get married, by all means, get married. It doesn't hurt me in any way. However, in North Carolina, you'll need permission from Beverly Purdue, the current governor. The only time she should be involved is if you'd want her blessing to marry one of her sons. Even then, it's just a blessing.

Does Gumpar the Permian actually think the voters of North Carolina approved a ballot measure that gives their governor the duty of passing permission on all North Carolinian marriage proposals?

I really think some people should have to pass some sort of civics test to be allowed to vote.

Garbo, for some reason when I read much of what you have to say I think of Stevie Wonder.

As in, when you believe in things that you don't understand then you suffer.

Like believing having civics lessons would have turned you into a lemming, when what civics lessons would actually do is turn you into an informed citizen understanding politics and government in a non-superstitious way.

Civics lessons study the theoretical and practical aspects of citizenship, its rights and duties; the duties of citizens to each other as members of a political body and to the government. It includes the study of government with attention to the role of citizens in the operation and oversight of government.

And you think understanding such things would make you a lemming following other lemmings off a cliff into the sea??????